Yoga Garden SF TEAM

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Marisa Toriggino

Owner | RPYT | Teacher TrainerMarisa Toriggino, a leader in prenatal yoga education for over 13 years, has been instrumental in designing curriculum for teachers of prenatal yoga worldwide. She combines powerful techniques from diverse lineages into a sound yoga practice that supports a healthier pregnancy and better birth outcome for future mothers. Since 1987, Marisa has studied Iyengar, Kundalini, Ananda, vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga, and has traveled to India on three occasions. She brings this broad experience to her prenatal classes, applying a rigorous physical awareness to her teaching that leads to a deeply inward understanding of the spiritual essence of humanity and motherhood. Marisa has a BA from UC Berkeley and is certificated by the Rudolf Steiner College in Administration of Spiritually-based Organizations. As a lecturer, she advocates the promotion of yoga for pregnancy and motherhood, and conscious birth and parenting practices. Since 1998, she has been a partner and owner of Yoga Garden SF, which offers full time teacher training programs, yoga classes and prenatal and early parenting yoga programs.

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David Nelson

Owner | Teacher TrainerDavid started practicing yoga to seek relief from chronic back pain and found that yoga was a powerful and dynamic medium to explore the meaning of life. David began teaching in 1998, and has studied Bikram, Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga. He was certified by B.K.S. Iyengar from 2005­-2013 and is registered as an ERYT200 with Yoga Alliance. David is passionate about the study and practice of Yoga. David founded Yoga Garden SF in 1998 with Darren Main, Together with Marisa Toriggino, he has owned and operated the Garden since 2004.

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Brittany McBride

Marketing ManagerBrittany McBride has lived around the globe as a yoga professional and entrepreneur. With a background in marketing, event production, brand and communications strategy working throughout New York City and England, Brittany comes to Yoga Garden SF binding her skills with her passion for holistic health. An avid adventurer, she immersed herself in traditional Hatha and meditation studies at Rishikesh Yog Peeth in India. Brittany is an E-RYT200 and Advanced Unnata® Aerial Yoga Teacher since 2011. Forever focused on growth and enrichment her down time is spent in study, traveling, dancing and creating art! Follow her on Instagram @journeyunfolds

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YULIYA POPOVA

Studio Manager | Teacher Yuliya Popova began regularly practicing yoga to relieve stress from long hours in the newsroom 10 years ago. Through yoga, she discovered patience, steadiness, acceptance and a new path – that of a yoga teacher. Yuliya earned her certification at Yoga Garden in San Francisco and had embraced the city’s free spirit and vibrant energy in her practice. Yuliya’s classes offer a combination of a strong, yet calming, flow with restorative postures. The focus will be on harvesting energy, not spending it. Yuliya is passionate about body anatomy and helps students choose their priorities in building healthy and safe foundations of asana alignment. Yuliya has studied with many wonderful teachers and has been most influenced by Karen Macklin, David Nelson and Jack Kornfield. She has a regular meditation practice inspired by many Spirit Rock teachers. Yuliya’s mission is to help students establish an inner yoga practice of body awareness and quiet mind. We spend a whole lot of time wishing for the past. Yoga can bring us back to the present and help us create a community without even trying. Learn more and connect with Yuliya at www.redwoodsyoga.com or follow her on Instagram @redwoodsyogi or Facebook @redwoodsyoga.

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Tamila Stavinsky

Advanced Studies Manager Originally from Ukraine, Tamila’s warm, free spirit, and passion for helping others brought her to Yoga. She has a double Major in Psychology & Sociology and believes that a healthy and happy heart is cultivated through regular Yoga practice and a positive attitude. Tamila has traveled all around the world volunteering and deepening her practice. She recently earned her RYT 200 here at Yoga Garden and is working towards her 500 Hour Certification. She loves the outdoors and ventures to the beach often. If you need a smile or some sunshine, stop by her desk to say hi! Tamila appreciates meeting clients and you’ll leave feeling brighter!

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Charmie Stryker

Communications & MarketingCharmie’s homeland may be the Philippines, but she’s found a piece of home in many countries during her 2 years of backpacking around the world. While she was in India, she deepened her practice by earning her RYT 200 at the Himalayan Yoga Institute and began teaching throughout her travels. She now calls San Francisco home and continues to express her love for creativity through yoga and design as Yoga Garden’s Communications go-to.

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Emma Davis

Admissions Manager | Teacher After traveling the world and finding herself unfulfilled by corporate life, Emma has dedicated herself to the practice and study of yoga – completing over 500 Hours of training at Yoga Garden SF. She believes that yoga has the power to burn away illusion, and by working well with the body, the mind and spirit can transform. Yoga has helped her to develop a spirit of optimism and humor, transmuting restlessness, fear and anxiety into expansiveness, calmness and clarity. As she learns to endlessly surrender to our true teacher, the Divine within, she intends that you leave her classes radiating the light, with confidence, ease and so much joy!

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Jennifer Christian

Client Service AssociateOriginally from the Bay Area, Jennifer is a long time meditation practitioner, mindfulness meditation teacher, yogi, and psychologist. She earned her masters in transpersonal psychology and doctorate last year in spiritually orientated clinical psychology. She has a passion for psychology, yoga, and helping others connect to their deepest nature. Jennifer sees yoga as a continual practice of grounding, reconnecting, and returning to a space of openness and clarity.

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Lili Silva

Client Service AssociateLiliana is a San Francisco native with a passion for hospitality and customer service in the wellness industry. When she’s not greeting yogis at the front desk you can find her on her mat improving her practice, or managing the box office at a local cabaret theater. She loves California road trips, discovering new holistic beauty products, and reading science fiction.

Teachers &
Advanced Studies Faculty

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Adam Meringolo

E-RYT 500 | Teacher Adam began his yoga journey nearly a decade ago while on the verge of collapse, and it precipitated a complete transformation in his life. Through the brilliant guidance of Shanti Kelley and later Annie Carpenter, Adam learned to establish ground while embracing wisdom, humility and devotion in his practice. Adam teaches a challenging yet grounded flow, rooted in alignment and sustainability. His goal is to guide students towards honesty, precision, and understanding in their practice.

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ALEXANDRA ROSSI

E-RYT 500 | RPYT | RCYT | YACEP | Teacher Trainer Alexandra Rossi, a Paris native, shares the practice of yoga with everyone, from children to adults, in an honest and playful way. Her personal practice has taken her from therapeutic based Anusara Yoga to a more restorative practice, influenced by Judith Lasater, Yin yoga and Yoga Nidra.After many years of teaching, she realized that her true calling is to empower women at every stage of their lives. She is greatly influenced by Jane Austin and by Gurmukh’s teachings on prenatal yoga. She is now convinced that women need a mix of strengthening and restorative practices to accommodate the changing nature of their bodies. Alexandra’s classes combine music, and healing touch with buddhist philosophy. She is known for her skillful and intuitive hands-on assists.

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Alyssa Byrd

E-RYT 200 | Teacher Alyssa Byrd is grateful to share yoga and seeks to create safe environments for cultivation of determination, patience, confidence, strength, flexibility and inner wisdom in all of her classes. She believes that we are each our own best teachers, and that sometimes we do better with a guide. After immersion in the hot yoga scene in 2002 she was soon drawn to deepen her practice & studied with Senior Certified Iyengar instructor Ben Thomas in Pacifica. In 2008 she took a Street Yoga teacher training in San Francisco & in 2012 Alyssa graduated from a Yoga To the People 200 hour TT in SF. Alyssa has been leading private and group classes since 2013 & continues to study the art of vinyasa with Shiva Rea. Alyssa is known for leading vinyasa, Aligned Hatha Flow & Gentle Yoga (H.A.L. Method–Hips, Abs & Lats) classes.

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Britt Meyer

RYT 200 | Teacher Britt walked into her first Yoga class in 1996, and started a long love affair with Yoga. This love challenged her and developed into a true lifelong calling; guiding her through all the challenges and opportunities her life has encountered. Growing from workshops, retreats, and teachers from all over the world, she would eventually complete 4 years of Yoga Theory and Basics in 1999 while at University, and then, her first teacher training in 2005. In 2014 Britt became pregnant and everything changed. Her body, breath, life, even identity were in upheaval. Prenatal and postnatal yoga helped her feel her way through the changes in her body and life. It provided her with a space to learn from other mothers, gave her time to connect with her growing baby, and supported her in ways she could not find off the mat. She fell in love with yoga all over again and in a whole new way. In 2017, she completed her prenatal and postnatal teacher training at Yoga Garden, San Francisco.Britt lives in San Francisco with her husband and two beautiful children.

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BROOKE CORAZÓN

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Brooke Corazón has been a student of yoga since 2003 and a teacher since 2009. Her background includes Bikram, Anusara, and Iyengar Yoga. She is blessed to study with her teacher Christina Sell, and is also deeply influenced by Iyengar teacher George Purvis and Rajanaka Tantra scholar Dr. Douglas Brooks. She recently completed her M.A. in Women, Gender, Spirituality & Social Justice. An integral part of what she brings to her classes, this program is supported by traditional academic research and scholarship in philosophy and religion that also draws from the many grassroots women’s, social justice and ecological movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In addition, Brooke has also completed training in Trauma-Informed Yoga. Brooke is a student of yoga, of philosophy, and of life. She enjoys filmmaking, writing, and supporting new parents as a postpartum doula. She is passionate about the path of study and practice, and lovingly encourages her students to try new things, to have fun and play hard, and to explore their rough edges. Brooke’s classes are playful, clever, and challenging; they’re athletic, spiritual, and therapeutic.

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Christie Pitko

RYT 500 | Teacher Christie Pitko began practicing yoga in 2001, and since then, it has healed her spirit and ignited creativity. She teaches an alignment-based flow, and enjoys helping students stay curious about the inner landscape of their bodies and minds. Christie received her 200-hour teaching certificate in 2011, and 300-hour advanced training in 2015 at Barefoot Movement in Oakland. Christie is inspired by, and continues her yoga education with Annie Carpenter. She is also a certified Relax and Renew restorative yoga teacher and trainer, having studied with Judith Hanson Lasater in 2016. Christie has over 2,000 hours of teaching experience. She enjoys hosting yoga retreats in California and abroad, to deepen students’ connections to yoga, meditation, and themselves. Christie is passionate about the power of daily meditation. Connect with Christie at: www.shiftingandinspired.com

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CHRISTIE RAFANAN

RYT 500 | Teacher | Lead Teacher Trainer Through yoga, Christie found a deep understanding and relationship with her body, mind and inner self. This awesome self-realization is what inspired her to teach yoga. Christie teaches yoga by linking breath and movement with a strong focus on alignment so that students may safely access all benefits of the postures. She gives hands-on adjustments but also encourages students to get into their own bodies. Her motto is, “Yoga is a practice, not a perfect”. She loves chanting, sweating and laughing in yoga! Christie completed her 200-RYT at Yoga Garden SF. She loves being a constant student of yoga and fulfills this with daily practice and studies. Her greatest hope and dream is to share the amazing practice of yoga with others. “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu…”

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DANIEL KUJA

RYT 200 | TeacherDaniel began martial arts training at 8 years old and connected immediately with “the way” of the mental and physical discipline and was teaching full time by twelve years old. A lifelong martial artist and musician, Daniel found yoga in 2009 as a way to supplement to Aikido and Zen practice, but yoga has now become his primary study.His classes are built on flowing sequences often interwoven with theme and music. Daniel’s compassionate, intuitive and non-judgmental teaching style allows students to find their own practice within the flow of the class.

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Denelle Numis

E-RYT 500 | Teacher Denelle Numis is a NYC native, a certified Coloradan and a newly relocated Bay Area yoga teacher ready to share her yoga offering with the community at Yoga Garden. Denelle composes an authentic experience on the mat where each student can immediately connect with the rhythm of their body and their breath. With a background in modern dance, Denelle builds her Vinyasa classes through a progression of dynamic sequences to stimulate energy and vitality throughout the body. She infuses her classes with eclectic music and inspiring peak postures. Even though her classes may be challenging, Denelle’s vibrant and gregarious personality motivates her students to stay playful in their practice. For more info, check out www.denelleyoga.com or follow @denellejarro on Instagram!

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DUSTIN MCCALLISTER

E-RYT 200 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Dustin came to yoga after more than a decade of studying Chinese martial arts. He was originally attracted to the raw athleticism of the practice. Dustin loves yoga as exploration–as a way to understand the relationships between the body, mind, and perceived experience. Dustin’s primary teachers passed along a strong commitment to alignment. He likes to build classes by layers, adding on detail so students can access their bodies safely. Dustin ensures that students with a wide range of physical abilities and experience levels work satisfyingly and appropriately to realize the benefits of their practice.

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Eileen Torrez

RYT 200 | TeacherEileen Torrez, RYT-200, knows that deliberate movement is the key to transforming both body and mind. With training in Vipassana meditation and Zen philosophy, Eileen brings a joyful presence to her classes, weaving themes of resilience, openness and trust into unique combinations of fear-defying poses. Eileen’s intuitive sense of touch and lighthearted athletic play empowers both new and experienced students to find the sweet spot between challenge and release. Her integrated, creative flows will reinvigorate your practice and bring you back into the strength and wisdom of your body. To learn more about Eileen, visit www.eileentorrez.com.

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Erin Hiltbrand Hall

Barre TeacherErin Hiltbrand Hall moved to San Francisco in 2010. With a love for the coast and outdoor activities, the Bay Area quickly became home. A background in dance, fitness, and health education inspired Erin to expand her teaching practice to include barre and sculpting, which provides her with another fun opportunity to encourage and empower others to take charge of their health. Erin has a BS in Health Education, a MA in Communications, she is a Certified Health Education Specialist, and a CA credentialed K-12 health science teacher. In her spare time she enjoys dancing, yoga, barre, reading, day hikes, the beach, traveling, walking her dogs, and spending time with her husband.

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Europa Grace

RYT 500 | TeacherCreator of Intentional, Intuitive and Inclusive Spaces of Movement, 500 hour Ayurvedic Kripalu Yoga Instructor, Queer Person of Color, Spoken Word Poet, Spiritual Activist, Conscious social impact and spiritual expansion intersect to create grounding in the body. With deep breath and focused intention, Europa welcomes you into an intuitive and accessible relationship with your body, mind, spirit and community. Through ancient yoga philosophy and modern science we have the opportunity to awaken our greatest potential; this is what’s possible every time you enter a yoga class. Embody your light and uncover your shadow with gratitude, compassion and play. All are welcome.Europa has interned, taught and mentored at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health an Omega Institute over the last 4 years. Europa manages and creates curriculum for Yoga Teacher Trainings and meditation retreats. Past experience working in mental health as a Holistic Wellness Coach, supporting folx to find wholeness has been an intrinsic factor of holding space. The most influential training includes: Off the Mat Into the World, Earth Activist Training, Kripalu Vinyasa and the Lineage Project.

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HANNAH MORAN

RYT 200 | Teacher Hannah completed her RYT-200 teacher training in 2011 in Atlanta with Bethany Vaughan and continued to study alignment, anatomy and yoga philosophy more deeply with teachers Robert Joiner and Angela Campbell. In 2013, she completed the YogaWarriors certification, yoga for veterans and those with PTSD or Combat Stress Disorder, with Dharma Richards. Recognizing that there is an endless amount to learn about yoga, Hannah is always seeking out new experiences and knowledge. She particularly enjoys helping those with injuries find ways to adapt their practice, adjusting and modifying to rebuild strength, flexibility and confidence. Hannah’s philosophy is to give students a strong foundation in alignment and awareness of their own bodies and their strengths and limitations. Her hope is that students can build on this foundation to safely explore, play and grow as they develop a more intelligent, individualized practice.

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JEN (HECHT) NEWMAN

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Jen (Hecht) Newman is an E-RYT 500 certified yoga teacher who has always had a connection to the exploration of movement and the expression of her heart. She has been studying movement and yoga for the majority of her life and has been teaching since 2001. Her teaching style offers clear, precise alignment that is playful as well as soulful.Jen has found that yoga is an offering and support in creating a remembrance of who we really are by connecting the physical, mental, and emotional being. In this place, there is an opportunity to feel the tangibility of our essence and offer this back in our day to day living. She has recently been studying Craniosacral Therapy under the Upledger Institute and is excited to further her studies in this direction. Come ready to play and find a deeper connection to your heart.

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Karen Macklin

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Lead Teacher Trainer Karen Macklin has been studying yoga since 2000, and teaching since 2008. She teaches with an emphasis on balancing energy, healing the body and mind, and deepening awareness and insight. Her classes are typically slower, rhythmic flows that both challenge students and offer them an opportunity to enter a space of meditation and inquiry. She is committed to inclusiveness and diversity, and believes that yoga, at its best, is a way of coming home to oneself.As a student and teacher, Karen has been most influenced by Sean Feit Oakes (Yoga & Buddhist Dharma), Scott Blossom (Ayurveda & Shadow Yoga), Gary Kraftsow and Julie Gudmestad, PT (Therapeutics), Chrisandra Fox (Tantric Hatha), and Jason Crandell (Alignment-Based Vinyasa). Karen also has certifications in Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Reiki, as well as extensive training in Theravadan Buddhist meditation. She is a student of Nonviolent Communication, and is currently training to be a certified Integral Coach. In 2014, Karen co-founded the organization Heart and Hand Yoga, which leads international retreats that combine yoga, adventure travel, and service. Also a professional journalist, Karen has written extensively about yoga and dharma, and has contributed to many publications, including Yoga Journal, Yoga International, FitYoga, and Tricycle magazines. She has written three yoga blogs: Samadhi and the City (for Yoga Journal), The Sacred Cow (for Pranamaya), and On the Om Front (for the San Francisco Bay Guardian). She currently writes a monthly column for 48 Hills called Examined Life. www.karenmacklin.com

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KATRIN KUTTNER

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Katrin, E-RYT500 Yoga Teacher Trainer / Yoga Instructor / Yoga Therapist / Philosophy Teacher, lives and teaches yoga in San Francisco and travels around the globe to share her passion for the spiritual art with the body. She is leading and contributing to yoga teacher education and training. For her classes and workshops she designs sequences that make sense of the body and mind for a deep sustainable experience. She strives to address the unique therapeutic needs of every student and cultivate a lasting increase in energy and courage. Katrin combines in her teaching fluid strength and alignment with a tantric take on life. Katrin is an extraordinarily creative and skillful yoga teacher. I am very impressed with her ability to balance strong leadership with compassion and encouragement.” – Desirée Rumbaugh creator of “Yoga to the Rescue” DVD seriesyoga.katrinkuttner.com

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Kelly White

RYT 200 | Teacher Kelly loves teaching prenatal yoga because it combines her two passions: yoga and reproductive health. Kelly began attending yoga classes in college because she had heard it might calm her mind; she ended up finding that and so much more – a framework for honest self-exploration, a connection to spirituality, a deeper understanding of the relationship between her body, mind, and breath, and a new way of life. Over the past decade, she has also developed an expertise in reproductive health, studying Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University, managing a prenatal program in San Francisco, overseeing women’s health services at a national primary care company, and training as a birth doula. Kelly’s vinyasa-inspired prenatal classes bring in yoga philosophy, feminist theory, childbirth education, and asana alignment to empower students on their pregnancy journey. Kelly studied vinyasa yoga with Les Leventhal and prenatal yoga with Yoga Garden SF.

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Leigh Stewart

E-RYT 500 | Teacher Leigh is a yoga teacher with experience working with both youth and adults. She cultivated her personal practice to aid in her rehabilitation from injury as a collegiate athlete. Her background spans dance-infused Lotus Flow to the subtler yin practice. She has collaborated with the Asian Art Museum, UCSF’s Benioff Hospital and Stanford’s Early Life & Pediatric to educate youth on creating sustainable asana practices. Leigh’s study of Ayurveda often weaves threads through her classes, and she is enthusiastic about building community among her students. Off the mat, Leigh enjoys strenuous hikes, herbal tea and swimming in open water.

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LISA LEE

RYT 500 | Teacher Lisa has been a student of yoga for over 10 years and completed her RYT500 certification at Yoga Garden SF. She creates a soulful yet powerful Vinyasa practice of meditation through movement and breath. She believes yoga is for everyone and aims to make her classes accessible with a playful, personable approach, yet still challenging and empowering in hope that each individual can feel personal growth.

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Lisa William

RYT 200 | Teacher Lisa was first inspired by the practice of yoga in 2009 while attending the University of Hawaii. Having always been an active person, she was seeking peace of mind and found it in Savasana after her first Bikram class. Upon returning to her hometown in the Bay Area she began teaching Power Yoga and Yoga Sculpt. Lisa’s style of teaching focuses on 3 principles: being mindful, controlling the breath, and never giving up! Her classes offer various options to accommodate all skill levels while still challenging the body. Her belief is that by pairing a physically challenging practice with mental awareness you can achieve spiritual balance. Lisa loves trying new things, spending time with friends & family, exploring the outdoors, and is an absolute foodie!

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Liz Andolong

RYT 200 | Teacher Liz discovered yoga in a small studio in 2006 amongst candlelight and sweat, leaving her mind peaceful and body challenged; thus beginning a 10 plus year love affair with yoga. Over the years, the practice has been the constant in her personal growth and journey, allowing her to cultivate a more authentic self that is grounded, joyful, and open. Through the years, she’s explored many different styles of yoga, moving from a physical, vigorous vinyasa to a more deliberate and curative flow. Her background as a classically trained ballerina, coupled with honoring her body’s ever-changing journey, has cultivated a practice which is primarily breath and alignment-based. She believes in creating a space for her students that makes yoga accessible to all: supporting and encouraging their own self discovery, healing, integrity, and self love. In honoring the lineage of her teachers (Pete Guinosso, Rebecca Rogers, Martin Scott, Jason Crandell) and honoring her own style, she incorporates curated playlists alongside proper alignment and deep breath work to help deepen students’ – beginner or advanced – experience. She is grateful to offer a space that allows students to connect more deeply to themselves, with hopes that their understanding of self will connect them more authentically with others and the world.

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MAGALI DEVIC

RYT 200 | Teacher A native of France, Magali Devic has spent the last decade in the US and is an enthusiast for the many fitness activities the Bay Area offers. A salsa aficionado, Magali partakes Yoga, Pilates, Body Pump and draws on these methods to create inspiring, effective, total-body workouts in her Barre classes. Magali completed Yoga Garden SF’s Barre 101 training under the careful instruction of Mike Najjar. Upon earning her certification, Magali is excited to teach Barre 101 classes at Yoga Garden SF and loves engaging with the diverse student body. Magali is passionate about the Barre 101 method because it is a safe yet challenging workout designed for everyone. She enjoys helping students understand isometric movement while teaching them how to tone and elongate core muscles while targeting the seat, core, thighs and arms.

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Marisa LaValette

RYT 500 | TeacherMarisa LaValette initially came to yoga to stretch out her hip flexors and hamstrings after a lifetime of horseback riding and running. She came looking for a physical release— she found that, and so much more. Marisa invites students with all bodies and all needs, both physical and personal, to start where they are and say yes to yoga wherever they find themselves today. In so doing, she teaches students how to love themselves unconditionally. Marisa loves yoga because it affords the daily opportunity for a fresh start, clear perspective, and rejuvenation. She especially challenges students to transfer lessons learned on the mat with intention to all areas of life, both within and outside of the yoga studio.

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MAX KOPEIKIN

RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Max Kopeikin is a yoga nerd with a deep passion for the practice. His classes are alignment-centered and can range from quite dynamic to gentle or restorative. His primary influences come from his longtime practice of Anusara, Iyengar, Restorative, Gentle Hatha, Jivamukti and AcroYoga. He is a certified Hatha Yoga and AcroYoga teacher. Max is currently working on his Masters in Expressive Arts Therapy and has a Postgraduate Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy. He is also in the process to become certified in the Feldenkrais Method. Max began his career teaching in Barcelona and he continues to travel teach in Europe.

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MARTINE HAMERS

RYT 200 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Martine Hamers began practicing yoga in 2008 upon realizing she needed to make drastic life change to avoid reaching a point of burnout. Yoga helped her learn how to find calmness and understand the boundaries of her body. Martine earned her RYT-200 designation through training with the Yoga Institute Mumbai in 2010 and has made several trips to India over the recent years to learn more about the yoga lifestyle. In 2014, she completed a vinyasa yoga teacher training with David Lurey and Mirjam Wagner as well as a Yoga Anatomy and Breathing course lead by guru Leslie Kaminoff. She has practiced and taught yoga in studios in Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and San Francisco. To deepen her practice, Martine currently studies yoga therapy under the guidance of Kate Holcombe and most recently competed a teacher training to become a BoxingYoga Coach with Kajza Ekberg and Matt Garcia. While Martine has explored various yoga styles, she enjoys teaching a powerful style class that creates energy in the body and stillness in the mind through asana.

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MEREDITH HOLT

RYT 200 | Teacher Meredith is a certified yoga and meditation teacher who is committed to connecting her students to the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of being, consciously guiding them to the present moment, and encouraging them to stay open to the infinite possibilities of life. She is known for balancing the strength and structure of the practice with grace and ease, and offers it is an opportunity for individual and collective healing, empowerment and love. You can visit her website http://www.spiritwellness.net/

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Michelle Bouvier

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Michelle Nayeli Bouvier is a Prana Vinyasa™ E-RYT 500+ yoga teacher trainer, Hoopdance pioneer, AcroYoga teacher, bodyworker, movement therapist and dancer devoted to the art and science of embodiment. With a diverse movement background and 20+ years in yoga, Michelle has taught full-time, at studios, conferences, retreats and festivals since 2002. In addition to sharing Prana Vinyasa™ through Shiva Rea’s Samudra School, she is on the Teacher Training Faculty of Āvāhana School of Yoga & Expressive Healing Arts, Balanced Action Yoga, and Hoop Vinyasa. Loved for her joyful creativity as a movement guide, Michelle teaches with a uniquely trained eye drawn from a plethora of techniques, training, and experience working with people in all walks of life. She loves the challenge of giving each student just what they are ready for, and specializes in creating meditative experience through breath and rhythmic movement. Michelle seeks to expand our understanding of living yoga beyond asana, in life as well as through a variety of embodied awareness practices. She is the founder of EmBody Retreats, immersive training retreats that delve into the overlap of dance, yoga and self-care practices through multidisciplinary movement study and the Tantric teachings of yoga’s roots in fluid kārana vinyāsa and spontaneous dance. With nearly 4000 hours of advanced study, Michelle maintains a private practice based in San Francisco and continues to study Ayurveda and the Axis Syllabus.www.michellebouvier.com

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Phillipe Yee

RYT 500 | TeacherPhillippe is a dedicated, passionate yoga practitioner and teacher. For him, it’s all about waking up! By building compassionate awareness around our bodies, minds and hearts, he believes we can begin to lift the many veils of our conditioning that keep us in unconscious slumber, and then awaken to the truth of our experience as it is in every moment. With this understanding we can find deliberate healing, transformation, evolution, and liberation. Phillippe has been greatly influenced by alignment-based traditions of yoga such as Iyengar and Anusara. He has had the privilege of studying with many inspired and dedicated teachers including Jason Crandell, Jason Bowman, Sean Haleen, Abby Tucker and Katchie Ananda. Most recently he has been enjoying the wise teachings of Betty Roi and Brian Hogencamp. To all of them he owes endless gratitude.

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Rebecca Mayne

E-RYT 500 | RPYT | Teacher | Lead Teacher Trainer Rebecca earned her B.A. in Contemplative Psychology and Yoga Studies, which included about 1000 hours of teacher training. She went on to receive her 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Certification through The Shambhava School of Yoga, during which program she lived a traditional yogic lifestyle at Shoshoni Ashram. Since then, she has studied Inner Yoga™, Principle Based Partner Yoga™, Prenatal, Warriors at Ease™, YogaEd, and iRest® Yoga Nidra with Richard Miller. Most recently, she received her 500Hr Yoga Alliance Certification through Sivananda School of Yoga. She has sought out certifications to deepen her practice and teaching because she loves tailoring classes to students’ needs and goals. Rebecca has taught more than 2,000 hours at both the 200hr and 500hr certification levels, which she feels has been some of her greatest study, second to the yoga of being a mother.Rebecca teaches and leads retreats and trainings internationally, and works with a variety of clients, designing and teaching employee wellness programs. Other than her passion for yoga, Rebecca’s an outdoor enthusiast of many sorts, and is an in-love mother to 3.5 year-old boy, with a daughter on the way!www.rebeccamayneyoga.com

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Ross McIntire

RYT 200 | Teacher Ross McIntire is a yoga teacher, drummer and photographer. With a background in skateboarding and running, Ross understands that not everyone is an athlete in the traditional sense. Classes with Ross draw from Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, focusing on strength, safety, alignment and the connection of presence, breath, and movement. Every class is a full body workout with room to explore the progression of binds, inversions and arm balances. Expect a serious and exhilarating workout with plenty of room for humor. Ross completed his 200 hour yoga teacher training at Flying Studios with Laura Camp, along with a 70 hour advanced teacher training with Ana Forrest. For more information, visit rossfit.com

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ROY GAN

E-RYT 200 | TeacherRoy is a classically trained dancer from Singapore, with over 15 years of experience in dance, teaching and choreography, a non-practicing lawyer and a graduate of Yoga Garden SF 200-hour Advanced Studies program. His approach is to take the blinders off and give oneself the radical permission to honestly explore what one’s mind and body are capable of. A testament to the transformative, grounding, and healing power of the Yoga practice, Roy’s mission is to encourage an inner intuitive listening and to raise one’s consciousness to embrace all aspects of the human experience freely. Through mindful practice, he supports people in honoring and appreciating themselves and provides a safe and non-judgmental space for them to discover their inherent greatness. Roy teaches a dynamic- sequenced yoga flow that encourages a holistic awareness of breath and proper alignment strength and flexibility; functionality in movement and conscious co-ordination. ”It’s about bringing the necessary consciousness into everything we do. The practical mind training aspect of Yoga is an invaluable tool to help one first, to be aware of the obstacles to freedom and then allowing these obstructions to be gently removed. Steady determination and a sustained yoga practice will help one to ground in unqualified awareness…. to allow the human being to live a loving, healthy, abundant and fearless life.” For more information please visit here.

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SONYA GENEL

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Teacher Trainer Sonya Genel joyfully embraces the power of yoga not only to heal and transform the body but also to heighten human consciousness and to create a radiant life. In her classes, Sonya weaves precise anatomical alignment with flowing movement. Always approaching her students with authenticity and humor. Sonya’s intention is to hold space for a direct embodied connection with Spirit. When she is not teaching yoga, Sonya can often be found drawing or painting. As an artist, she notices the profound effects yoga has on her creativity, and she has dedicated herself to enthusiastically guiding others toward enhancing their own unique life path through yoga. Over the years she has completed hundreds more hours of training in alignment based yoga, prenatal yoga, anatomy, therapeutics, mysticism, tantra, and meditation. Sonya is grateful to have had the opportunity to study deeply with some incredible teachers such as Sianna Sherman and many others. She now brings over a decade of teaching experience to her classes, workshops, trainings and retreats. Practice with Sonya at home online at udaya.com and yogavibes.com. Connect with Sonya: www.sonyagenel.com

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STACEY SWAN

E-RYT 500 | Teacher | Lead Teacher Trainer Stacey E-RYT500, believes that yoga has the capacity to empower, transform, and support the physical, emotional, and mental layers of the human experience in a way that brings us deeper compassion and understanding of our world and our place within it. Her classes will include varied combinations of the following: asana, pranayama, meditation, and yoga philosophy. Stacey encourages her students to practice in a focused and safe manner with instruction that is clear, warm, and light hearted. Stacey has over 700 hours of training, and has been teaching yoga since 2007. She completed her 200-hour certificate in Astanga/Vinyasa, 500-hour certificate in Hatha/Viniyoga, and has studied 75 hours with Judith Lasater in Restorative Yoga. Stacey is also a teacher trainer in Yoga Garden’s 200 hour program. You can learn more about her offerings at www.staceyswan.com

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Tiffany Chau

RYT 200 | Teacher Tiffany (RYT-500) believes yoga is about deepening your mind-body-spirit connection and returning home to your true self. Her first ever yoga class was in a local gym 13 years ago. It developed into a regular practice during her college years as a way of calming the mind and relieving chronic back pain. For the last 8 years Tiffany has been a competitive ultimate frisbee player and yoga has acted as the perfect counterbalance between intensity and ease. Her approach to yoga combines the athletic intensity of asana with a careful attention to the energies of the subtle body. She encourages her students to close their eyes and listen to their breath. We are fluid beings, always changing, and our practice should reflect that. Expect a dynamic flow based sequence that is athletic, challenging, and of course — fun!

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VAZA (VANESSA RACINET)

RYT 200 | TeacherVaZa’s dynamic approach guides students through a physically and spiritually expansive journey. Her teaching is unique in that her sometimes vigorous style is coupled with a strong focus on proper alignment and total body awareness. The use of personalized instruction helps students of any level harness the power that comes with a working understanding of the relationship between breath and movement, body and mind. VaZa infuses her Ashtanga based, yet multifaceted, knowledge of Yoga with personal passion to inspire students to truly listen to the body, leave the ego at the door, and – most importantly – to have fun! To learn more about VaZa, visit www.vazayoga.com